Secretary of State John Kerry declared Thursday that the Islamic State is committing genocide against Christians and other minorities in the Middle East.

He accused ISIS of “crimes against humanity” and "ethnic cleansing," specifically mentioning the Yazidis, Christians and Shia Muslims.

On "America's Newsroom," Lt. Col. Ralph Peters (Ret.) said that the Obama administration was basically "shamed" into making the genocide designation after facing heavy pressure from lawmakers and rights groups.